How to Trail Run at Night - Overcoming the Darkness

Trail running at night is intimidating and can even be scary. You are surrounded by the unknown, it's cold, and it's dark. Your world is reduced to a small cone of light. But if you want to run 100km or 100 miles ultra marathon, you HAVE to keep going. Today, we explore the various challenges of night runs - particularly on trails - and I provide you tips to overcome this challenging undertaking.

These tips will help you run on trail at night. And one day soon, the night may even be your favorite moment in any ultra marathon - particularly those hot summer races. With the sun gone, and the miles behind you, the night is that last barrier to your success. The night is peaceful, quiet, with milder temperatures. And those last miles might be shared with someone close to you! Honestly...it ain't that bad. 

Still, night running might be the scariest thing for new ultra runners, yet something we all need to do someday. It sounds bad, but you can do it! Source? ... Trust me bro! But seriously, the challenges of the night are mostly mental, and with enough practice and confidence, you will fly through the night. There are things to know, and things to do, to maximize your chances of facing the dark and the cold and the night successfully. Here's a list:

Darkness Tips
- Invest in a GOOD Light
- Carry 2+ Light Sources
- Head Lamp vs. Waist Light
- Set Light to Lowest You Can Still See
- DON'T Blind Others
- Practice and train at night on technical trails
- Know What's in The Darkness
- Don't Worry Too Much About Animals
- In Case of REAL Danger, Get the Hell Out!
- The Most Dangerous Animal Remains Humans and Cars

Cold Tips
- You Get Colder After 16+ hours of Running
- Change Out of Wet Clothes for The Night

Sleepiness Tips
- Exhaustion Aggravates Sleepiness
- 2 Black Coffees #Brian
- Keep Good Calories Intake
- Keep Moving - Raise That Heart Rate

Navigation Tips
- Have GPX on Watch and Phone
- Be Aware of Upcoming Junctions
- Make Sure You Can See Markers

Photo credit: jose miguel muñoz IG at josemiguelmunoze

[runningwithsimon]

The miles I share with Nora at night is often my favorite moment of a race - and I hope with these tips it can becomes yours too! For example at Tahoe coming out of diamond peak was a bad climb. But with the full moon reflecting on the lake and the mountains in the background, I knew there's no other place and no one else I'd rather be than exactly where I was!

[heathermalloyFL]

Simon, all your videos are fun and informative. This one, was one I needed the most. I've done a few 50s in "controlled" trail environments in the dark, but darkness has been the biggest thing from keeping me from going longer. I grew up in the woods, not really afraid of the wildlife...but if anyone is going to break an ankle on the terrain in the dark, it's me 😂. Your tips with the lighting were very helpful, and I'll be trying either a waist light or moving my headlamp lower. Keep 'em coming!

[baggy]

Really helpful - will probably re watch before my first overnight event next year

[Gator]

This video did a great job of alleviating some common fears of running in the dark, and had some great tips - positioning the lights lower to help show the contours of the terrain and rocks better! Thank you for taking the time to create this content!

[blc-monicarose]

This! The breaking down was so good! Forest is different than wide open.

[iterato]

Good stuff! One extra tip about carrying layers: have them in a ziplock or other kind of waterproof bag or else they can become wet too and then not much help at all.

[danielm.]

One thing I always wear at night is a pair of clear safety glasses. Running into branches I don’t see because I’m looking down at the ground is scary and makes me worried about putting an eye out. Maybe this is a really tall person problem but I never run at night without eye protection!

[alexandreparadis]

Fun story: my first Ultra at night was Harricana125 in Charlevoix. The race start in a ZEC ( a place where people can have a permit to fish and hunt), and when I did it, the start time was 2 AM. I was not doing well at all, end up the last runner, alone in the dark, wasn't sure I was on track... Then out of nowhere, 2 guys cross my path, guns on their shoulder, look at me with a smile, and just say Good morning! have a nice run! And they disappear in the wood. I was still alone in the dark, thinking: what the hell just happened! I never saw the trail they were on...
As for animals, like you said, they are scared of us...

[emmarunyeard]

I read a book recently about a guy who spent a year being out in the dark... Fantastic observations about how it is another world but also an awesome world once you understand the darkness 🎉

[SeeChadRun]

Great tips and feedback! I'll be applying these during my UTE 100 ultra.

[jacktesmer]

I appreciate this video, running in the dark is intimidating for me still especially after a full day of running. I saw two mountain lion looking at me 10:15pm finishing a 40 mile loop. They were relaxed but it freaked me out, I was by myself. I also got very cold from 3am to 6am my body wanted to shut down both instances I did the overnight.

[literarybeard]

Thanks much Simon- really appreciate your video.

[davidb]

I had never thought of a mid chest light until you featured that. Fantastic!

[Duke-]

Your section on the animal troubles reminded me of a potential issue at a triathlon in Michigan this summer. We were told that there was a danger of a released pet alligator being in the water we had to swim in. Thankfully, no alligator showed up on our swim. But that really worried me in the days leading up to the event.

[jeanyves]

Another tip for dealing with sleep deprivation/exhaustion is mastering power naps. I’ve trained my brain to take 5- and 20-minute naps, and they work so well. My trick is telling my brain: OK, shut down for the next 5/20 minutes, and I repeat it a few times, helping my systems shut down.

[wk]

Can't emphasize enough about the backup light. Last night I was a sweeper for a race, so I brought extra in case a runner needed one. I ended up lending my Ultraspire 400 waistbelt to a runner who's light was on all day in her drop bag and had died. My own Fenix HM65R-T which I consider super reliable stopped working. It acted like the battery had died, but when I put in a new one, the blue LED were full, but it just flashed and went out. The exact same battery worked fine in the Ultraspire so I know it wasn't the battery. Thankfully I had a backup-backup, a small Knog headlamp which isn't bright, but following other runners with brighter lights (including my own lent Ultraspire) it was enough.

Another thing, make sure you can change your light's battery in the dark, and with cold tired hands. That's a good reason to have a second light.

And yes, I love running at night. But I love it a whole lot less if I'm trying to navigate by starlight.

(when I got home I tried charging the Fenix directly as opposed to putting the battery in a charger, and something seems to have 'clicked' and it worked again. It's like it was convinced the battery was dead even if it wasn't, and it needed to be put on the charger to reset that. Still waiting for a response from Fenix, who I contacted about it.)

[nataliamartinkova]

Simon, do you have an affiliate link for a waist lamp? Very useful tips for the perspective issues, so I'd like to support your channel in my next kit update.

[italia]

amazing i m new to trail, i was running in the mountain since 2 years, and this year i say ok i need to get a bib :) it was in may. i just do short ones 30km max, i dunno if i will get to ultra, but i want to try night trail, what do u think? there is a race mid september who start the night its a 15k only. I think it could be a great test, i dont even have a headlamp yet, im looking for petzl nao rl or silva 1200xs (it's pricey but in my mind i say i invest one time in good thing, so i can keep them longer) so yeah im like 6 weeks away of the race i didnt register yet, i will have to practice first at night and see if i like it. i think i will be scare obv during solo training by night i will do max 2h max, during race it, 's different there is people so not that scary i think. if u was me will u try it ? or i dont rush i will train by night this winter and see. because running officialy (races) by night is a bit rare if not an ultra.let me know! i m new and already subscribe ! thanks

[ArcaneSpells]

key darkness tip: in case of actual danger, get the hell out 🤣

[bikerdude]

Ive paced both moab240 and tahoe 200 for my friends and i always get stuck doing to the night runs . Im starting to think theyre not fond of me😂😂😂